Sailing with Amy Clair

La Roche Bernard - such a pretty little town, full of character (and a rather sombre past in the french revolution!)   Amy Clair moored at the very end of the pontoon.  The old port area is very pretty and has some beautiful old sailing boats We were at first reluctant to swim but it was so hot and most of the local population seemed to be in the water - so we went it. It was lovely if a little disconcerting, having a slightly brown tinge. But just what we needed on this very hot day .

The last few nights (and the unbelievably cost effective offer we received from Arzal Marina ) made our minds up to give "Amy Clair" a new home for the next few months. It is a fabulous location to explore the whole of the West Coast of France and gives us confidence that we can leave the boat here when we are back in the UK.   It was a real "no brainer" ultimately. 

We read that you can anchor just about anywhere along the Vilaine so we motored up past Arzal, past La Roche Bernard and found a particularly quiet spot. So quiet that we wondered whether anchoring was actually allowed. Our anchor set first time and the wind blew quite strongly for a couple of hours. But the location was stunning and we decided to stay. By evening the wind had died and we were presented with a beautiful mirror flat river that reflected the early moon beautifully. We awoke to birdsong the next morning and did not see another boat from about 6.00pm in the evening until 08.00 the next day. Absolutely amazing 

Arrived on the Vilaine waiting pontoon to see the most beautiful sunset , a very good start

It's now Saturday 23rd June (I think) and we're about to set off for Arzal tomorrow, assuming weather etc is as expected. The last couple days have been a rewarding recharge of batteries - ours and the boat in the delightful Locmiquelic marina. We had planned to explore Ile de Groix but plans changed due to the moring issues. There are 4 marinas in Lorient harbour and I think we chose the nicest, with a beautiful view across to St Michel island and the entrance to the harbour. Days have been filled with scenic bike rides to Port Louis (and it's ancient Citadel) and the wildlife sanctuary,picnics and lovely meal out and we EVEN made it to the beach! (afraid not quite warm enough for swimming)

  It all started so well. We arrived on a gloriously sunny day. Unusual mooring arrangements in the small and popular harbour. Fore and aft buoys which requires a level of boat handling dexterity. Liz helmed , did a great job and we moored with no fuss. A couple of  boats arrived after us and the antics were great entertainment. But I shouldn't laugh, mooring boats is a great way of making a real £$%& of yourself and we have all done it at some point.  The arrival of the ferry was concerning. It's a big beast and had very little room to turn , but did so without causing us any hassle.  It's a pretty place in the sunshine and you can see the tightly packed boats.The old fishing boat looks nice , but caused trouble in the night. At about 02.30 we awoke to hear worrying noises. I came on deck and found that the wind had picked up a lot and the  trawler and a large boat which had rafted against it were in danger of smashing into our boat ! I awoke thei...

At last, we are sitting in the cockpit, sundowner in hand enjoying some gorgeous early evening sun with a beautiful view over Concarneau mediaeval fortified town "Ville Close", after the last few days of reduced temperatures and some persistent miserable rain. Motored here on Monday as very little wind and decided to stay 2 nights as we had a nice pontoon berth and didn't fancy more grey skied motoring. It's a lovely old town and the marina is right in the shadow of the old town - lovely memories of our family holiday camping somewhere near here many years ago!